Kate's Chicken Chimmichangas

There was a period of time not so long ago that chimmichangas were pretty much the only thing my sister Kate would eat (that and ice cream, of course). She used to beg my parents to take her to the Mexican place one town over at least once a week. But then I came to visit and we dug up an old recipe from my aunt, modified it a bit, and suddenly trips to Newark were no longer necessary for Kate's happiness. She could actually have chimmies any time she wanted.

So now it seems like I "get" to make them whenever I go home to visit. It's not like Kater can't make them herself, but like most things in life, they're better when someone else makes them for you. And I'm not going to lie- these are a little bit of work. There's cooking and wrapping and frying involved, but the end result is so tasty that we usually forget about all the hard work (and oil splatter burns) after the first bite.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

Last night we had some delicious fish tacos at our house. I purchased some tilapia from the local market for a few dollars, which was awesome. The flavor was light and fresh and perfect for a summer night. I threw the tortillas on the grill like the directions suggested and WOW! Turns out that grilling your tortilla shells takes them to a whole new level of smoky flavor goodness. I happen to have a top rack on my grill, so I just put them on there when the fish was about done, flipped them once, and voila, perfection. If you don't have a grill, try them in the broiler and I imagine it will enhance the flavor as well. The crisp corn, fresh cilantro, chipotle flavored sauce, and of course fresh lime juice truly made these tacos perfect. I would suggest putting  them on this weekends menu.

Chicken and Cheese Corn Enchiladas

I admit, I am a fan of Mexican food. Most importantly, it is just really tasty. For another, it is often pretty easy to make, which I am a huge fan of. Enter this recipe. This recipe lets you use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken; easy!! (Plus I guarantee you will have loads of left over chicken for sandwiches, soup, or snacking). Because of the simplification of using a pre-cooked chicken, I decided to simplify the original recipe even more and omit the husking of fresh tomatillos and substituting canned ones, which can be easily found at your local grocery store.

Shredded Chicken and Black Bean Quesadilla

"A quesadilla" you say, isn't that kids food? Well, I would say yes if it is full of an overwhelming amount of yellow cheese. But add some shredded chicken, some veggies, and beans and you have yourself dinner. And let's admit, there is something refreshing about eating your dinner with your hands. Really you only get to do that on rare occasion, like the other night when my husband and I ate a juicy hamburger at Five Guys Burgers, which was delicious, but very messy. So juicy and messy in fact that I had to scrub my ring with soap when I got home from all the grease that ran down my hand and solidified on my ring (yes it was gross, yes it was delicious, and yes that grease also solidified in my stomach that night giving me a slight stomach ache, but I'd do it again).

Guacamole (The Best Guacamole)

Yes, this is a guacamole recipe. And yes, I imagine you already have a guacamole recipe. But if you don't have this one, you are missing out. Kelly and I made this recipe together and had to stop ourselves from eating all of it because we had made it to serve it st her going away party that evening. I was able to sneak a little more at the party before it was gone, but it went fast. The combination of flavors is perfect. The addition of the tomatoes gives it a little more texture, and if you are like me you like a little texture to your guacamole. (I prefer chunky guac to smooth guac.)

Seriously I should have posted this one in time for Cinco de Mayo, but as I actually had my baby that day, it just didn't happen. But it is still May, so whip up a batch of this, get a pinata, and have a party!

Fast Chicken Fajitas

So this past week has been a nightmare for me and my hubby. We moved last weekend into a new place, with the help of many of our friends - a big thank you there. What we soon discovered however was that the previous tenants had turned off the furnace, resulting in the drainage pipes freezing. What did this equal: 5 days without the ability to use any of our sinks, toilets, or bathtubs! Thankfully the temperature has finally risen slightly and our pipes thawed out. What a dream to be able to use the toilet and shower in your own house! While that has nothing to do with these fajitas, it has everything to do with what has been consuming my mind lately. I actually made these fajitas prior to moving when I could wash my hands over the sink rather than into a bucket. So hooray for plumbing! 

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Recently I had a dinner with a group of ladies I went to grad school with; I was in charge of the main dish, however the dinner was not at my house. So I had to come up with something that would be fairly easy to make a large quantity of, be easily transportable, and would please more than one palette - I came up these Green Chicken Enchiladas.

Now, I have made several different styles of enchiladas before (Caroline's Chicken Enchilada Burritos and Creamy Chicken Enchiladas), but these are probably the most "enchilada" like. What I mean by that is the filling is mainly shredded chicken with a few onions and green chilies. And the great part about these is that they are super easy, you can make them ahead of time, and they are delicious. Now I must warn you they are slightly spicy - if spicy isn't your thing, replace the salse verde with a mild green enchilada sauce. You won't get the delicious flavor of tomatillos and chilies, but it will definitely make them less spicy.

Green Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe and picture by Caroline

4 skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons better than bouillon, chicken flavor (or use a couple of bouillon cubes)
1 teaspoon fajita seasoning
1-10.5 ounce can mild green enchilada sauce
1-4 ounce can diced green chilies
1-7 ounce can salsa verde
½ large yellow onion, diced
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons olive oil
10 flour tortilla shells *I always prefer the uncooked shells, that I cook at home
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add bouillon, fajita seasoning (if you don’t have this, go ahead and skip it), a dash of salt and pepper, and chicken breasts. Boil for 20 to 30 or until chicken is cooked through. Drain, let cool, and shred chicken.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet sauté onions in olive oil until just tender. Take off heat add prepared shredded chicken, enchilada sauce (use as much to make a moist mixture, but not runny), green chilies, and sour cream; stir to combine.
3. Prepare a 13x9 inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread ½ cup salsa verde sauce and ½ of the cheese on the bottom of the pan. Divide the chicken mixture between the 10 shells and roll each shell, putting them in a row in the pan. For the top layer, spread the remaining ½ cup salsa verde sauce and cheese. Cover with foil, bake for 20 min in a 350°F oven; remove foil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. Serve hot with salsa and shredded lettuce.

Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillos are a new discovery for me. I've seen them in stores and occasionally mentioned in recipes, but never tried them for myself. Today's dish was inspired by the tomatillos withering into oblivion in my former neighbor's garden . She recently moved, and I took it upon myself as my duty to eat them.

Tomatillos are in the tomato family, and in Spanish are known as tomate verde (green tomato). They grow with a husk around the fruit, and as they ripen, the husk slowly pulls away. You know they're ready when the husk is wrinkly and splits open at the bottom. I think they're very cute. And little did I know (until today) that they're also the key ingredient in green salsas...there's obviously not a whole lot of salsa-making at my house. 

Tamale Pie

I feel a little sheepish calling this "tamale" pie especially if a Latino chef were ever to see this recipe. There's really nothing tamale-ish about it...there's corn and meat and that's about where the similarity ends. But it's good. On a nice blustery fall day (the kind we don't seem to be getting much of around here), it's the perfect meal.

Caroline's Chicken Enchilada-Burrito

These enchilada-burritos are something I have been making for years, or at least some version of them, all depending on what I have in the refrigerator. I call them enchilada-burritos for a couple of reasons. First, they aren't your typical meat and cheese enchilada because I include vegetables and beans inside. But, they aren't really a burrito either, because they aren't huge, they aren't overly stuffed, and they don't have rice in them (although I guess not all burritos have rice in them). So I just decided to give them both names; that is one of the small pleasures of coming up with your own recipes, you can name them whatever you please.

Caroline's Chicken Enchilada-Burrito
Recipe and Picture by Caroline
makes 10 enchiladas
about 5 or 6 servings

Ingredients
10 flour tortillas
4 or 5 large chicken breast, boiled and shredded
2 tablespoons better than bouillon, chicken flavor (or use a couple of bouillon cubes)
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ red bell peppers, diced into ¼ inch pieces
½ to 1 jalapeño, minced (amount based on desire of heat)
¼ yellow onion, diced
1-14 oz can black beans
1-6 oz can diced green chilies
1 to 1 ½ cups green enchilada sauce
salt
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
sour cream

Directions
1. Boil a large pot of water, add a dash of salt, Creole seasoning, and 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (I like the Better than Bouillon variety, it is a thick liquid, but bouillon cubes will work just fine). Add the chicken, boil for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain cooking water; shred chicken. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add peppers, jalapeño, and onion, cooking for 2 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Add green chilies, black beans, 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon, shredded chicken, and ¼ cup water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove cover, add ¼ cup enchilada sauce; continue to cook for another minute or two, uncovered to let most of moisture cook off; salt to taste.
3. Place all of the flour tortillas, folded in half envelope style, in a 13x9 glass baking dish. Put a small amount of the cheese in each tortilla envelope. Evenly distribute the chicken mixture between the 10 tortillas, and then roll them up, seal facing down. Toss the remaining cheese over top of the rolled enchiladas; pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top; cover with foil.
4. Cook foil covered enchiladas in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes, remove foil and cook for a remaining 10 minutes. Serve warm with lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream.

Poblano Stuffed with Chorizo, Shrimp and Rice

Here is a variation on a typical stuffed peppers. It includes several different types of peppers and cheese. The thing that makes it the most unique, in my opinion, is the inclusion of shrimp.

I was not able to follow this recipe exactly as it is listed, because I was unable to find a couple of ingredients. I could not find chorizo cheese or poblano chiles at my local store, so I had to leave those out. Instead I stuffed green bell peppers and pasillo peppers, which worked out well. I served these peppers as a side, but they are quite filling and could be served as a light dinner. I hope that you will enjoy them...oh and one more thing, the recipe does not call for any salt, but I would definitely add a teaspoon while cooking. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos

Today is Cinco de Mayo, which to me means it is a day to eat Mexican food. What Cinco de Mayo really is (from my research), is a holiday to commemorate the Mexican army's victory over French forces in a battle that took place on May 5, 1852. In the United States it is a day that some celebrate as a day of Mexican heritage. However, contrary to popular belief, it is not Mexico's independence day. And from what I understand, is not celebrated throughout Mexico. With that being said (and hopefully being accurate), today you should make these pork tacos and drink some Guarana or my favorite non-alcoholic Sangria or our Mango Lime Fool.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

These creamy enchiladas have comfort food written all over them. They are so, so easy to make, and everyone loves them. My kind sister Rebekah shared this recipe with me a year or so ago, and every time I make them for friends, they want the recipe. Granted they are not exactly healthy, they are delicious.

The only adaptations that I made from the original recipe was to add mushrooms and omit black olives. Also, you can easily half this recipe to make enough for 2 people, or double it for a larger crowd. The best part is, you probably have the majority of the ingredients in your kitchen right now, making this a great last minute dinner idea.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe from Caroline's sister Rebekah, with some minor adaptations

Serves 5 (makes 10 enchiladas)

3 or 4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2, 10 3/4oz cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1, 4oz can diced green chilies

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

3/4 cups milk (approximately), divided

10 tortilla shells (I prefer to use uncooked tortillas for this recipe, because they taste fresher, roll easier, and are thinner than the precooked kind.)

Directions

1. Broil or boil chicken until cooked through, then shred. (If you are in a hurry, you can use canned chicken, the enchiladas are not quite as good, but it makes for a very fast prep time.)

2. Mix soup, sour cream, green chilies, onion, mushrooms, cheese, and 1/2 cup milk. Take out approximately 1/4 of this mixture and set aside.

3. Add chicken to the larger portion of the creamy mixture. To the smaller, set aside portion, add the rest of the milk, just enough to make the mixture runny.

4. Spread half of the milk-cream mixture on the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Fold each tortilla shell in half and put in the pan, lining all 10 shells up in a row (as in the above picture). Evenly distribute the creamy-chicken mixture into the shells. Roll each shell with the seam facing down. 5. Spread the remanding half of the milk-cream mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes in a 350° oven.

Black-Bean Cabbage Tacos

The combination of beans, cabbage, lime, and feta cheese make these tacos taste fresh and healthy. The addition of hot sauce on your taco is not required, but somehow it pulls all the flavors together. These could be served at lunch time or as a light dinner with some spanish rice and fruit.


Black-Bean Cabbage TacosRecipe by Caroline
Pictures by Caroline
makes 8 small tacos
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Hot sauce
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the drained black beans, half the chopped onions, and the cumin. Turn heat to low, cover, and let beans heat through for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine coleslaw, cilantro, half the chopped onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. In the meantime, heat a small skillet over low heat. Heat each tortilla shell for about 30 seconds each side, then place them on a plate, folding them in a clean cloth to keep warm.
4. To assemble, put a spoon full of beans and cabbage mixture into a shell, top with feta cheese and hot sauce. (Hot sauce is optional, but really pulls all the flavors together.)
-Caroline

Fish Tacos

This recipe is a great place to start if you've never had fish tacos before. And if you're not usually a big fan of seafood, we recommend making this with Tilapia, which has a very very mild fish flavor. The fish marinates in orange and lime juice and a bit of spice, making it delightfully flavorful and citrusy. Add a little bit of lime sour cream, toppings and green salsa, and you're ready to eat!


Fish Tacos
adapted from Bon Appetit May 2008
Pictures by Caroline

2 cups chopped white onion, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 pound tilapia
Coarse kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
Corn tortillas
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
Green Salsa

1. Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer.
   
2. Whisk sour cream, milk, and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl.
3. Heat oven to High Broil. Broil fish with some marinade still clinging to them until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
   
4. Meanwhile, heat tortillas until warm, about 10 seconds per side.
5. Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime sour cream, tortillas, remaining 1 cup chopped onion, remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Green Salsa, and lime wedges.

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican breakfast dish. They are usually made with stale corn tortillas cut or torn into strips and then fried. Salsa is poured over the tortillas to soften them, and eggs or chicken can be added to the mix. They are then topped with sour cream or a white cheese and served with beans. The dish may vary depending on region or family preferences. This recipe is a healthy American spin on a Mexican favorite.

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles
adapted from Cooking Light November 2006
Makes about 6 servings

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced red or yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
15 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
1 1/2 cups shredded queso blanco*

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes or until light brown. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Add chicken; cook 30 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in beans. Add 3/4 cup cheese and stir.
   
3. Add broth and salsa to a pan and bring to a boil Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
4. Place half of tortilla strips in bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan (a 9 x 13 will work as well, but yield thinner chilaquiles) coated with cooking spray. Layer half of chicken mixture over tortillas; top with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
   
5. Pour broth mixture evenly over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until tortillas are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

*If you don't have any queso blanco hanging around the house, try using mozzarella, white cheddar, swiss, or any combination of white cheese